Feed mechanism for phonographs



Au .1s,1942. FQQEBER 2 2,293,218 2' F2150 MECHANISM FOR PHONOGRAfHS Ori inal Filed Apri1'28, 1941 1 2 sheet 1 INVENTOR Aug. 18, 1,942- F. RIE'BER 2,293,218 I [FEED uscmimsu FOR Pnougemrus Oflginal Filed A n 2a, "1941 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN VENTOR Frank Fiji's W ATTORN EY Patented Aug; 18,1942

UN ED STATES PATE men Mncnamsu ronrnonoonarns iiieber, .LosAngeles, Calii., assignor to MemovoxJnc Beverly Hills, Calii'., a corpora;-

. tion oi Ohio r 1 a clan... c "ls-i243) This invention relates phonographs, and i more particularly totheieed mechanism for adrecording or reproducing head over vancingthe the record. i l

Thisapplicationis a. divisioniof an application entitled -?.'Phonograph1 apparatus, \filed in i the name of ,FrankBieber, on April 28, 1941, Se-

rial No. 390,690, and a continuation in part of an application flled in the name of Frank Rieber,

on November 2?, 1939, Serial 190,306,244.

It is common in phonographs; regardless of whether a record in the form of a disc, a cylinder.

or a loop orbeltis utilized, to include mechanism for positively causing the cooperating sound head totraverse the record. Such mechanisms usually include a a threaded rod 3 or feed screw" rotated by a suitable mechanical meansat a definite rate with respect to .the speed of the it record, The! sound head is mounted on a carriage; gu ded for movement transversely of the record... and connected tothex-ieed screw by appropriate means such as a threaded nut. Since it isdesirable to be able to move the carriageCindependently or the feed screw, the ,ieed nut or other means is arranged to be disengaged from the feed screw by the appended. claims.

In the drawings:

since the scope of this invention is best defined Figure Us a top plan view partly broken away of a. phonograph incorporating the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of a fragment "of Fig. 1, showing the feed nut;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views as seen on correspondingly. numbered planesof :Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a pictorial view of the feed nut. Referring to Fig. 1. of the drawings, a known type of phonograph is shown comprising a tum- .table l carrying arecord disc 2 and supported ,for rotation about ,a vertical axis by a framework' 3. This frame includes guide bars 25 and li which slidably support a carriage 9 on which is mountedthe sound head-Ii, which may be either a recorder or a reproducer.

Mechanism of any suitable type is provided for when desired. One way in which this can be,

done is to have the nut embrace notmore than half theg c ir cumferenee oithefeed screw. Thus,

by appropriately supportingthe nut, it can be moved in a generally radial direction, to or from engagement with respectto the feed screw, as desired. 1, i

It is an object oi this invention to provide an;

improved screw ieed ofthis character. i It is anotherobjectptthe invention to provide such feed mechanism havinga novel form or feed of the sound head ll relative to the record 2,

nut which maybereadilyuand quickly engaged or disengaged with respectto the feed screw.

. Itis still anotherfobject of the invention to pro-, vide improved means for supporting thefeed nut with respect to the feed screwso that any rela tive misalinement for theparts will have no deleterious eiIectsVonthe drive and the nut' will remain inpr'oper operative position, andwithout any binding eflects.

Thisinvention possessesmanyother advantages and has other objects which may be made more easily apparent from a consideration of one em bodiment of the invention. For this purpose there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and iormingpart oi the presentspecification. This term will nowbe'described in detail, illustratingthe general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that thisdetailed derotatingfthe turntable], and means are pro vided for advancing carriage 9 to cause the stylus (not shown) carried by sound head I i totraverse the record. i

This means comprises the lead screw 1, rotatablysupported in frame l and connected with,

themeans drivlng the turntable, so as tojbe driven thereby, :and feed nut I20 carriedby the carriage 9 and engaging feedscrew Thus,

rotation of lead screw I causes a corresponding advance oi carriage 9.

It is necessary at times, incident to the 515- eration of the phonograph to alter the position as well as to return the head H to starting position afterreaching the end of therecord. This involves disengaging the feed nut I29 from the feed screw 1.

To facilitate the engagement and disengag o ment of nut I20 with respect to feed screw 1,1

nut. I20 comprises a pair of fragmentary nuts or bands iii and "I22; intefnally threaded and axially spaced, joined by ayoke I23. Bands! and I22 occupy oppositely disposed angular portions of a complete circumference, so as to engagewthe threads of lead screw 1 on diametrically opposite portions thereof; In this way a rotation of yokeifl about an axis I24, between the bands and radial to screw tlserves either to engage orf disengage the threads of bandsnlfl and m with respect to the threads of. screw]. Obviously,

one band could be omitted, the remaining band, being relied on to move the carriage, and being adapted to be movedto or from the screw I in the same mannerby swinging about axis I24.

scriptionis not to-be taken in a limiting sense, 55 However, two bands are preferable since with NToFFicE such an arrangement, the force exerted by screw 1 to move frame 9 has least tendency to force nut I out of engagement with the screw threads.

In order to permit such rotation, as well as to connect nut I20 operatively to carriage 9 so that movement imparted to nut I20 will serve to advance the carriage, a shaft I is fastened to yoke I23. Shaft I25 is supported for rotation about its axis I24 by a guide I26 attached to carriage 0.

Shaft I25 is also axially movable in guide I26, to permit nut I20 to accurately accommodate itself to screw 1. A compression spring I33 surrounds shaft.l25 and is confined between the top of guide I26 and hub I34 of a crank arm I31 secured to the upper end of shaft I25. This isto ensure proper engagement between the threads of nut I20 and of lead screw I20.

To provideadditional resilience in the struc ture as well as adjustment, guide I26 is secured be provided in spring portions I for the screws Shaft I25 is moved clockwise about its axis I24 to bring bands I2I and I22 into engagement with lead screw I. This may be conveniently accomplished for example by the aid of a tension spring I35, one end of which is secured to crank arm I31,

the other end being anchored to a post I36 on carriage 9.

It is to be noted that by virtue of the resilient supporting elements I28, and the freedom of motion of the shaft I25 permitted by springs I33 and I35, nut I20 can follow accurately the threads on screw 1, even though there be some misalinement or even a slight bending of the screw 1.

When it is desired to disengage nut I20 from 'the screw 1, shaft I25 is turned counterclockwise through a small angle asviewed in Fig. 2. For this purpose a link I14 is 'slidably supported in a bracket 115 on carriage 9. One extremity of link- I14 is bent up as indicated by I16 inFlgs. 3'and 4, so as to engage and rotate crank I31 in response to outward (upward in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings) axial movement of link I14. This movement may be imparted by any suitable means, conveniently acting. on the opposite end of link I14.

What I claim is:

1. In mechanism for advancing a sound head, a carriage, supporting the head, a guide for the carriage, a lead screw, a threaded fragmentary nut engaging the screw, and means on the carriage pivotally supporting said nut for rotary resilient bracket carried by the carriage, supporting said pivotal support means.

3. In mechanism for advancing a sound head, a carriage supporting the head, a guide for the carriage, a lead screw, a threaded fragmentary nut engaging the screw, means on the carriage pivotally supporting the nut, said pivotal supporting means having an axis substantially radial to the feed screw-and spaced along the screw from said nut, and means for rotating said nut about said axis.

4. In mechanism for advancing a sound head, a carriage supporting the head, a guide for the carriage, a lead screw, a threaded fragmentary nut engaging the screw, a shaft on said nut, said shaft having an axis radial to the thread of the nut and spaced along the screw from said nut, a bracket on the carriage pivotally supporting the shaft, means resiliently supporting said shaft against axial movement in the bracket, and means to revolve the nut about said axis.

5. In a mechanism for advancing a phonograph head, a lead screw, a carriage supporting the head, a nut engaging the screw, said nut having a pair of interrupted axially spaced threaded bands, and means supported on .the carriage for forming a pivot for the nut along an axis radial to the screw and intermediate said bands said nut being rotatable about said pivot to engage or disengage said screw.

6. In a mechanism for'advancing aphonograph head, a lead screw, a carriage supporting the head, a nut for engaging the screw, said nut having a pair of interrupted axially spaced threaded bands, means supported on the carriage for forminga pivot for the nut along an axis radial to the screw and intermediate said bands, and resilient means urging said nut to rotate about said radial axis, for engagement with the screw.

7. Ina mechanism for advancing a phonograph head, a lead screw, a carriage supporting the head, a nut for engaging the screw, said nut having a pair of interrupted axially spaced threaded, bands, means supported on the carriage for forming a pivot for the nut along an axis radial to the screw and intermediate said bands, resilient means urging said nut to rotate about said radial axis, for engagement with the screw, and positive means for moving the nut out of engagement with the screw.

8. In a mechanism for advancing a phonograph head, a lead screw, a carriage supporting the head, a nut engaging the screw, said nut having a pair of interrupted axially spaced threaded bands, said interrupted portions of the two bands occupying diametrically opposite sides of the nut, means forming a pivot for the nut along an axis radial to the screw and intermediate said bands, and a resilient bracket carried by the carriage and supporting said pivot means.

9. A feed nut for use in advancing a phonograph carriage comprising a pair of axially spaced fragmentary threaded bands adapted to cooperate with a feed screw, said bands having a common axis as well as equal angular extents of less than and being diametrically opposite each other, a yoke connecting said bands, and a shaft for supporting the nut joined to said yoke, intermediate the bands and perpendicular to their axis.

FRANK RIEBER. 

